Stimpson adds the insults

Leicester 52 Newcastle 9: Tigers full-back mauls club who rejected him with record-equalling 32 points

Having already become the first player to score 1,000 points in the Zurich Premiership, Tim Stimpson is well on his way to the second thousand. The full-back, who has been filling his boots here since leaving Newcastle, yesterday kicked his former club into submission with a Tiger Woods-like accuracy.

While Leicester have not been their old selves this season, losing two of their first three matches, Stimpson remains as reliable and consistent as ever. Even by his high standards he had a match to remember as Leicester defeated the game but outclassed and subsequently demoralised Newcastle by four goals, seven penalties and a drop goal to three penalties.

Stimpson landed seven penalties from seven attempts, four conversions out of four and for good measure threw in a towering drop goal for a contribution of 32 points, equalling the Premiership record. His strike rate, needless to say, was 100 per cent.

The European champions, without the injured Austin Healey, paraded a new pair of half-backs, the Irishman Tom Tierney, formerly of Munster, and Sam Vesty, who was making his home debut. They were asked to do little more than go through the motions.

There was an inevitability about the one-sided nature of the contest and it would take a much stronger referee than Steve Leyshon even to begin to help redress the balance. The Tigers were in classic bullying form on their favourite playground. They did not need Mr Leyshon's help, but they got it.

By the time the combative Richard Arnold was shown a yellow card in the 50th minute – when a brawl broke out Arnold, who had already been warned, waved a petulant arm at Martin Johnson – Newcastle were 31-9 adrift and sinking. Leicester immediately capitalised from the penalty, this time kicking to the corner instead of giving it to Stimpson, and Neil Back scored his traditional try from the lineout and drive.

Leicester, thanks to Stimpson, were 21-9 to the good after 34 minutes before the Australian Rod Kafer helped himself to the first of his team's four tries. Kafer's try rounded off a prolonged assault in which Dorian West, Ben Kay and Vesty were prominent. And such was the overkill that Kafer was able to ignore a four-man overlap on his left.

If Stimpson was not the obvious man of the match, the award could have gone to Jamie Noon. The Newcastle centre was quite outstanding and one of his breaks just before half-time created a great opportunity for Epi Taione but the flanker was stopped two yards from the line – by, of course, Stimpson.

It was a rare Newcastle attack and Rob Andrew, their director of rugby, afterwards admitted: "I think we froze. By half-time it was over. Leicester were outstanding just about everywhere.''

Leicester's third try midway through the second half was a curious affair. A rolling maul was stopped on Newcastle's line, at which point the referee signalled for a scrum. However, the ubiquitous Stimpson alerted the referee to the raised flag of the touch judge David Rose. After a brief conversation, Leyshon awarded a try, which was credited to Ollie Smith.

The evergreen Graham Rowntree scored Leicester's fourth try before the Frenchman Franck Tournaire got a yellow card a minute from time after replacing Darren Garforth in the 63rd minute.

Newcastle were in trouble from the first scrum, which they were powerless to prevent from being wheeled and where they conceded a penalty. Stimpson made them pay and continued to do so.

Jonny Wilkinson briefly kept his side in touch with two penalties but generally he was on the receiving end of some heavy-duty treatment, particularly from his England colleague Kay, who flattened him with a late tackle. Newcastle never did receive a penalty.

There were other incidents. Scrum-half James Grindal, who joined Newcastle from Leicester, received a clout to the head as he was about to gather the ball and Wilkinson's penalty made it 18-9. Then there was Martin Corry throwing a series of left hooks about a yard in front of the referee, whose only action was to award a scrum to Leicester. Garforth and Steve Brotherstone also exchanged punches but got away with a mild lecture, and Arnold similarly escaped punishment after performing a reckless tap dance at a ruck.

Coincidentally Leicester's best performance of the campaign arrived without Healey at stand-off. The day, though, belonged to Stimpson, who kicked beautifully and was on target from all manner of distances and angles. When Newcastle released him they made a big mistake.

Leicester: T Stimpson; H Ellis (S Booth, 58), O Smith (J Naufahu, 76), R Kafer (G Gelderbloom, 64), F Tuilagi; S Vesty, T Tierney; G Rowntree, D West (G Chuter, 63), D Garforth (F Tournaire, 63), M Johnson (capt; P Short, 63), B Kay, L Moody (J Kronfeld, 69), M Corry, N Back.

Newcastle: L Botham; J Shaw, J Noon, P Godman (H Charlton, 67), M Stephen; J Wilkinson (capt), J Grindal; I Peel (J Isaacson, 72), S Brotherstone (M Thompson, 55), M Hurter (M Ward, 60), H Vyvyan (C Hamilton, 67), S Grimes, E Taione, P Dowson (R Devonshire, 60), R Arnold.

Referee: S Leyshon (Bristol).